En'ter1, v. t.
v. t. [imp. & p. p. ENTERED; p. pr. & vb. n. ENTERING.] [Fr. entrer, Sp. & Pg. entrar, Pr. entrar, intrar, It. entrare, intrare, Lat. intrare, from intro, inward, contracted from intero (sc. loco), from inter, in between, between.]
Sense 1. To come or go into; to pass into the interior of; to pass within the outer cover or shell of; to penetrate; to pierce; as, to enter a house, a closet, a country, a door, and the like.
That darksome cave they enter. Spenser.
Sense 2. To unite in; to join; to enlist in; as, to enter an association, a college, an army.
Sense 3. To engage in; to become involved in; as, to enter the military service, the legal profession, the book-trade, and the like.
To enter into the service of my country in the army. Ludlow.
Sense 4. To attain; to reach; to begin; to commence upon; as, to enter one's teens, a new era, a new dispensation, and the like.
Sense 5. To cause to enter; to put in; to insert; as, to enter a knife into a piece of wood, a wedge into a log.
Sense 6. To inscribe; to enroll; to record; as, to enter a name, a date, or a statement of fact; to enter a debt in a ledger, a manifest of a ship or of merchandise in a custom-house, and the like.
Sense 7. (Law.) (a.) To go into or upon lands, and take actual possession of them. (b.) To place in regular form before the court, usually in writing; to put upon its records; as, to enter a writ, appearance, rule, or judgment. Burrill.